TJ build Project Shoestring

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Wrench guy

Hey all! I recently picked up this 2002 TJ as a daddy daughter project build. Found the Jeep on Craigslist locally here in northern California. Guy had it listed for $5800, high mileage 195k, no A/C, manual trans (so daughter can't text and drive (**thinker moment lol) soft top that was hammered, 4" pro-crap lift and roof rack. The 33" Tires were clapped out and bald...bottom line wasn't well taken care of cosmetically but ran like a top because it was the guys daily driver and hunting rig. Was able to work him down on the price of $4500. Win in my book!
(For some reason I'm not able to post pics)

So far I've replaced the soft top, installed 35" KO2's and cleaned up the neglect and fixed some odds and ends

This will be a multI purpose rig. First it'll be a weekend trail rig, and when my daughter gets to driving age it will be her Jeep to drive to school. We've got about 3 years till she drives. Till then, it'll be a budget build and as we can afford to get it where we would like it.

I have built a handfull of rigs from my first, a suzuki samurai, solid axle swap '90 4runner, '84 xtra cab toyota and 6 Jeeps....TJ's, Cherokees.

Lately, "overlanding" has been kind of the craze and it's got me suckered in. I love exploring back roads and finding what is or isn't out there. I've done the local trails, rubicon countless times, 4dyce Barret Lake is my favorite.

This build has to stay on the mild side being my daughter will be driving it eventually but still be rugged to take on rock trails occasionally. And the thought of also using it to head out to the middle if nowhere. Finding a distant lake/river, ghost towns out in NV and being as self sufficient as possible and carrying the essentials

Has any of you come up with good storage that's rugged? Where miles of washboard road won't tear it apart. Fuel storage? Outdoor kitchen?
I like the thoughts of having a kitchen side on rails out the back. I have a ARB fridge that'll be mounted. Planning on a rooftop tent, which tents work best with the small roof area? And what is a reliable GPS maps to use?

Wrench guy

Hey all! I recently picked up this 2002 TJ as a daddy daughter project build. Found the Jeep on Craigslist locally here in northern California. Guy had it listed for $5800, high mileage 195k, no A/C, manual trans (so daughter can't text and drive (**thinker moment lol) soft top that was hammered, 4" pro-crap lift and roof rack. The 33" Tires were clapped out and bald...bottom line wasn't well taken care of cosmetically but ran like a top because it was the guys daily driver and hunting rig. Was able to work him down on the price of $4500. Win in my book!
(For some reason I'm not able to post pics)

So far I've replaced the soft top, installed 35" KO2's and cleaned up the neglect and fixed some odds and ends

This will be a multI purpose rig. First it'll be a weekend trail rig, and when my daughter gets to driving age it will be her Jeep to drive to school. We've got about 3 years till she drives. Till then, it'll be a budget build and as we can afford to get it where we would like it.

I have built a handfull of rigs from my first, a suzuki samurai, solid axle swap '90 4runner, '84 xtra cab toyota and 6 Jeeps....TJ's, Cherokees.

Lately, "overlanding" has been kind of the craze and it's got me suckered in. I love exploring back roads and finding what is or isn't out there. I've done the local trails, rubicon countless times, 4dyce Barret Lake is my favorite.

This build has to stay on the mild side being my daughter will be driving it eventually but still be rugged to take on rock trails occasionally. And the thought of also using it to head out to the middle if nowhere. Finding a distant lake/river, ghost towns out in NV and being as self sufficient as possible and carrying the essentials

Has any of you come up with good storage that's rugged? Where miles of washboard road won't tear it apart. Fuel storage? Outdoor kitchen?
I like the thoughts of having a kitchen side on rails out the back. I have a ARB fridge that'll be mounted. Planning on a rooftop tent, which tents work best with the small roof area? And what is a reliable GPS maps to use?

Moderator

The rig itself looks great. I have come to learn on storage that it’s best to just build it yourself. Typically it’s more sturdy and it’s configured the way you want it. Seems like there is a TJ on here that had custom storage area. If I can find the thread I will post it up.

As far as tents go, check out CVT Tents. I really like these and the options they have.

Jeep Fanatic

No totes for us. Everything that came out first,went in last. We did meet a fellow Jeeper that I learned,we were on the same forum. 4 door for him also. So he had a Tuffy security deck at the back and had totes under it. Very organized. Took out the single back seat and put his arb fridge there. Do you need the back seat in your Jeep for your trip?

Wrench guy

No totes for us. Everything that came out first,went in last. We did meet a fellow Jeeper that I learned,we were on the same forum. 4 door for him also. So he had a Tuffy security deck at the back and had totes under it. Very organized. Took out the single back seat and put his arb fridge there. Do you need the back seat in your Jeep for your trip?

Bought the jeep with the back seat missing. But really have no need for one. The tuffy products are nice but man they are spendy! I'll most likely custom build something on slides and do a drop down tailgate for extra work space

Moderator

I have a TJ also. I have done some camping trips out of it, and it is tough. We do not have the overhead rack to store light stuff in.
We have removed our back seat.
If we were to get into overlanding, I would build custom racks inside the Jeep for storage.

One of the trips we did into one of the High Sierra lakes for three days, we had stuff strapped to the roof, even though we do not have a roof rack.
I put one of our hard tables up there and strapped it down, then placed light stuff on that with a net system and straps to keep everything in place.
This trail is only about 4 miles long, but can take a couple of hours, and has some pretty tough sections.
Oh, and we went in at night.

It can be done, just learn to pack light and only the most critical things needed for the trip.
I would try to see how well everything packs and unpacks at home, and learn the exact placement of everything for the best storage solutions.

Moderator

Jeep Newb

Nice progress! I've been toying with similar ideas in regards to the over landing fad but need to finish building the jeep first. However, I personally have been leaning toward a small off road trailer vs the roof top on the Jeep itself. Wondering if anyone has experiences to share on one vs the other?

My current thinking...I like the idea of decoupling the Jeep from the camp rig: want to keep the cg lower, won't have to break camp to make a run with the jeep, and it's more transferable to a future vehicle. Price doesn't seem to be significantly more if you want to K.I.S.S. I could frame my own trailer box or buy a simple used one. There are off the shelf simple bare bones ones from vendors like Smittybilt and more ready to go options but those are much more expensive like the MOAB Fort XL from BCT or the super expensive tricked out rigs from places like Patriot Campers.

Wrench guy

Nice progress! I've been toying with similar ideas in regards to the over landing fad but need to finish building the jeep first. However, I personally have been leaning toward a small off road trailer vs the roof top on the Jeep itself. Wondering if anyone has experiences to share on one vs the other?

My current thinking...I like the idea of decoupling the Jeep from the camp rig: want to keep the cg lower, won't have to break camp to make a run with the jeep, and it's more transferable to a future vehicle. Price doesn't seem to be significantly more if you want to K.I.S.S. I could frame my own trailer box or buy a simple used one. There are off the shelf simple bare bones ones from vendors like Smittybilt and more ready to go options but those are much more expensive like the MOAB Fort XL from BCT or the super expensive tricked out rigs from places like Patriot Campers.

I agree with how simple it would be with a trailer. Would be nice to have a base camp to head out on day trips from. For me, that's another registration tag to pay and I don’t have a place to store it
With this build, I don't have the hardcore rock crawler in mind. I'm building this to get out and explore mild trails in the middle of nowhere.
With building a rock crawler, the challenge of building it was to keep it reliable to beat on in the rocks. The challenge with a overlanding rig is to be self reliant and figure out storage for a week long trip where amenities are maybe a 100 miles away.
I also have to keep it road worthy for when my daughter will eventually be driving it to school